Golf practice apparatus

ABSTRACT

This is a golf ball receiving apparatus for use with conventional golf clubs and balls. It includes a plurality of vertically and horizontally spaced compartment targets, golf ball teeing and ball chipping areas in front of the compartment targets, an identified target curtain hanging in each compartment with a light bulb therebehind, a slanted floor in each compartment behind its curtain for the ball hit against the target curtain to drop onto and then roll over a ball depressible light switch floor to light the bulb while it rolls thereover to a ball return by way of a chute back to the vicinity of the tee area. Tee areas are in front of the compartment targets, and a sand trap chipping area is in between the nearest tee area and the compartment targets.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Corwin Clatt 110 Greenlawn Court, East Peoria, 111. 61611 [21] Appl. No. 841,452 [22] Filed July 14, 1969 [45] Patented July 20, 1971 [54] GOLF PRACTICE APPARATUS 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 273/176, 273/182, 273/1022,273/185,273/105 [51] Int. Cl ..A63b 67/02, A63b 69/36 [50] Field 01 Search... 273/184, l85,183,l76,105,102.2,181,182,105

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,584,093 5/1926 Harris 1,908,359 5/1933 Hughes 273/182 RX 3,288,467 ,11/1966 Rudolph. 273/181 RX 3,464,703 9/1969 Vallas 273/176 A Primary Examiner-George J. Marlo AttorneyGustave Miller ABSTRACT: This is a golf ball receiving apparatusfor use with conventional golf clubs and balls. It includes a plurality of vertically and horizontally spaced compartment targets, golf ball teeing and ball chipping areas in front of the compartment targets, an identified target curtain hanging in each compartment with a light bulb therebehind, a slanted floor in each compartment behind its curtain for the ball hit against the target curtain to drop onto and then roll over a ball depressible light switch floor to light the bulb while it rolls thereover to a ball return by way of a chute back to the vicinity of the tee area. Tee areas are in front of the compartment targets, and a sand trap c'hipping area is in between the nearest tee area and the compartment targets.

PATENTED JUL 20 19?:

SHEET 1 BF 2 1 FIG.

ATTORNEY PATENTED JUL 20 19?:

' sum 2 OF 2 ATTORNEY GOLF PRACTICE APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many ways for a golfer to try to simulate playing gulf, such as on golf driving ranges and with golf practicing machines, most of them, at best, simulating with only a single club, and do not enable a player to use a club and aim the ball toward a particular target as he does in actual gold. Tethered balls are one old wayfeatherweight balls are another. With this invention, the player uses his conventional golf clubs and a conventional -ball-'he can use any type of driver or iron for simulating distance or direction as well as practicing chipping out ofa sand trap.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object'of this invention to provide a golf ball receiving apparatus wherein the player uses his conventional golf clubs and balls in the conventional way, yet can practice his game without moving from a single area, where the hit balls automatically return to the playing area with no effort on the part of the player.

It is an object of this invention to provide a compartmentalized golf ball target wherein the player can try to hit his ball toward a particulartargehand the target hit will light up to indicate which target the ball has hit.

A further object of this invention is to provide a golf ball receiving apparatus wherein there are a plurality of individual identifying compartment targets, where, after the ball hits the target, it enters the compartment, temporarily lights up the indication, then continues on, with the light going out, and returns via a ball return and inclined chute back to the vicinity of the golf tee area.

A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus wherewith a golf player may practice, using his clubs and ball in the same manner as he would on a golf course, to thus exercise his arms and develop his control in the same manner as he would on a golf course, except that he can do it much more often in a given period of time than he .can on the golf course.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION There is shown at the golf ball receiving apparatus of this invention. This apparatus includes a teeing platform 12 extending rearwardly to an upright series of compartmentalized golf ball receiving targets 14, with side curtains or walls 16 and I8, spaced according to the area available, and an inclined ball return chute 20 leading from the targets 14 to the vicinity of the teeing locations or hitting locations 22, 24 and 26 of the teeing area I2.

The teeing area 12 may be of any suitable material, and located on it are three, more or less, teeing areas 22, 24 and 26 which may be of pockets of sand, and at the rear of area 12 there is supported, by suitable uprights, a plurality of vertically and horizontally spaced compartment targets, which, except for differences in dimensions, are identical in construction.

Extending forwardly from the targets 14 is a large pocket 28 of sand where the player can practice chipping the ball to the targets 14 as though he were in a sand trap on a golf course, the sand trap pocket 28 being between the targets 14 and the tee 26 nearest the targets 14.

The compartment targets 14 are suitably supported at or on the end of the platform, as by suitable uprights 30. As shown in FIG. 2, there are four central vertically spaced narrow targets and three vertically spaced larger targets on both sides of the central group. Also, the targets are in three horizontal rows. Each target 14 consists of a compartment having sidewalls 32 connecting a ceiling 34 to a rearwardly slanted floor 36. The sidewalls 32 also act as common walls between horizontally adjacent compartments, and the slanted floors 36 also act as ceilings 34 for the compartment therebelow in the vertical rows of compartments.

Supported on and depending from each ceiling 34 is a heavy canvas target curtain 38 spaced above the floor 36 enough for a golf ball 40 to roll therebeneath when the canvas target curtain 38 has been slightly deflected by the force of the blow from the ball 40 as shown in FIG. 3. If desired, the space below curtain 38 may be made large enough for a ball to pass under even when not deflected.

Each canvas curtain 38 has an arbitrary but different identifying indicia 42 on the face thereof. Also suspended from the ceiling 34 as well as being secured to the sidewalls 32 but spaced above the floor 36 is a strong net of nylon or other suitable material; 44, for protecting an electric light bulb 46 which, when lit up, shines on the back of the curtain 38 and makes itsindicia 42 be very prominent to show that the ball has struck such particular target. The ball 40 then rolls into the compartment over the rearwardly slanted floor 36 to'its rear end, to which is hinged a switch floor 48 over which the ball 40 will roll to drop on an inclined ball return 50 leading to an inclined pipe 52 and througha return chute 20 through the platform 12 to a collecting pocket 54 in platform 12 in the vicinity of middle golf teeing area 24 so as to be readily available to the player for further playing.

Each switch floor 48 is held up by a plunger 58 extending into a spring operated switch in a switch box 60, the spring in the box 60 being of such strength that it will support the switch floor 48 in open circuit position except when it is depressed by the weight of the golf ball, and only while so depressed, it completes a circuit 62 to its particular light bulb 46, to light up the bulb 46 to show the player which target his ball 40 has hit. When the ball 40 hits the target curtain 38, it drops down onto the slanted floor 36 to roll over the switch floor 48, lighting up its bulb 46 as it rolls thereover on its way to the return ball floor 50 and backthrough pipe 52 to chute 20 and pocket 54. After the player has completed his swing, there will be ample time for him to look up and at the target indicia and curtain to see the hit target light up momentarily, thus showing the player which target he has hit, and whether he hit the target he actually intended to hit. From the tee areas 22, 24 and 26, he uses any regulation driver or iron club, and thus perfects his swing and his direction, andfrom the sand pocket 28, he may practice chipping the golf ball as practice for getting out of a sand trap on a golf course. Thus, except for putting, this game apparatus will enable a player to practice every club in his bag with regular clubs and regular golf balls so as to improve his skill for the golf course. It is contemplated that a number of such game apparatus may be set up and be rented to the public on a time or hour basis in the same manner as at golf ball driving ranges.

In the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts, and for the purposes of explication, set forth below are the numbered parts of the improved golf ball receiving apparatus:

10 golf ball receiving apparatus l2 teeing platform 14 golf ball receiving compartment targets 16 one sidewall 18 other sidewall 20 inclined ball return chute 22 first teeing area 24 second teeing area 26 third teeing area 28 sand trap pocket 30 uprights 32 compartment sidewalls 34 compartment ceiling 36 compartment rearwardly slanted floor 38 target canvas curtain 40 golf ball 42 indicia on curtain 38 44 light protecting nylon net I 46 light bulb 48 switch floor 50 inclined ball return floor 52 inclined ball pipe 54 ball collecting pocket I 58 switch plunger 60 switch box 62 circuit Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. Golf practice apparatus for use with conventional golf clubs and balls, said apparatus comprising a plurality of golf ball compartment targets (14) arranged in vertical and horizontal continguousness with one another, golf ball tee means (22, 24, 26) spaced in front of said compartment targets (14), means for returning the balls hit to any compartment target back to the vicinity (54) of said golf ball tcc means (24), means (42) for identifying the compartment tar get (14) to which a golf ball (40) has been hit from said teeing means (22, 24, 26), each compartment target (14) comprising a floor (36) slanted rearwardly, a target curtain (38) spaced above said slanted floor (36) adjacent its front end, said curtain (38) being suspended at its top edge and arranged to yield on being struck by a hit ball (40) and drop the ball onto said slanted floor (36), said compartment target (14) identifying means comprising identifying indicia (42) on said target curtain (38), a light (46) therebchind, and a ball weight depressible switch floor (48) hinged to the rear of said slanted floor (36) to operate said light (46) to light up said identifying indicia (42) on said curtain (38).

2. The apparatus of claim I, said hit ball returning means comprising a ball return (50) to which the golf ball (40) rolls from said switch floor (48).

3. The apparatus of claim 2, said ball return (50) including a chute (20) leading to the vicinity of said golf ball tee means 

1. Golf practice apparatus for use with conventional golf clubs and balls, said apparatus comprising a plurality of golf ball compartment targets (14) arranged in vertical and horizontal continguousness with one another, golf ball tee means (22, 24, 26) spaced in front of said compartment targets (14), means for returning the balls hit to any compartment target back to the vicinity (54) of said golf ball tee means (24), means (42) for identifying the compartment target (14) to which a golf ball (40) has been hit from said teeing means (22, 24, 26), each compartment target (14) comprising a floor (36) slanted rearwardly, a target curtain (38) spaced above said slanted floor (36) adjacent its front end, said curtain (38) being suspended at its top edge and arranged to yield on being struck by a hit ball (40) and drop the ball onto said slanted floor (36), said compartment target (14) identifying means comprising identifying indicia (42) on said target curtain (38), a light (46) therebehind, and a ball weight depressible switch floor (48) hinged to the rear of said slanted floor (36) to operate said light (46) to light up said identifying indicia (42) on said curtain (38).
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, said hit ball returning means comprising a ball return (50) to which the golf ball (40) rolls from said switch floor (48).
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, said ball return (50) including a chute (20) leading to the vicinity of said golf ball tee means (24).
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, said golf tee means comprising a plurality of golf ball tee areas (22, 24, 26) differently spaced in front of said compartment targets (14).
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, and a golf ball sand trap chipping area (28) between said golf ball compartment targets (14) and the nearest golf ball tee area (26). 